Case Studies

Our Work

Adding expertise into your team

Telco projects and consultancy assignments are complex by nature and it is a common situation that the right expertise may be missing and difficult to find in the right time frame. The lack of expertise not only creates risk in the project but can also damage the customer relationship and trust, impacting future sales and reputation.

At TelcoCentric we have a great track record in providing resources to existing project teams. We have provided resources such as architects, deployment engineers, testers and project managers to complement projects teams and help deliver the right results.

One example was for a North American leading provider of network signalling, policy control, and subscriber data management solutions for communications networks. Their problem was maintaining a large number of deployments across the world on different software versions. Support and maintenance was becoming incredibly expensive and time consuming and expertise was required to help solve the problem. A project was started to upgrade all customers to no less than two releases behind the latest version and TelcoCentric resources were deployed to form part of the global operations team responsible for planning, customer engagement and roll-out upgrades to all of the sites. The program was a great success and lasted for over 8 months covering multiple Tier 1 and Tier 2 operators across the globe. Furthermore procedures put in place during the project are still in place today.

TelcoCentric

Recovering failing projects

Telco projects often run into major difficulty and occasionally operators and vendors reach a point whereby projects never end or in some cases get dropped all together. Needless to say this can be incredibly damaging for a vendor and not only be very expensive with regard to the lost project costs but also impact future sales and credibility in the market.

At TelcoCentric we have a proven track record deploying teams for full project recovery activities. Team dynamics and experience is essential, especially when engaging with seasoned, process driven operator project teams. We understand the operator and provide the pragmatic approach and assurance to ensure
the project gets delivered.

One example was for a UK based network solution provider who found themselves in difficulty whilst delivering a complex messaging solution to one of the biggest Tier 1 operators in Europe. Their problem was a combination of shifting requirements and loss of customer confidence in their capabilities. The project was in severe jeopardy and at risk of being dropped altogether. TelcoCentric took over the project and provided all the necessary resources to engage with the customer, interact with the internal development team and initiated processes and practices to get things back on track. After 6 months the project was accepted and the operator is a happy customer buying more products and service from this provider.

TelcoCentric

Providing resources on-site

Telco projects and consultancy assignments often involve onsite presence. In some cases these are last minute activities and it is a challenge to get the right resources available with appropriate Visas. Not having the resources readily available can prove damaging for a vendor and incur delays and frustrations in the process. This may incur additional costs and create strains on the operator relationship.

At TelcoCentric we have a proven track record rapidly deploying resources across EMEA, APAC and LATAM.

One example was for a European based network solution provider who found themselves in difficulty whilst deploying a solution in Egypt for a major Tier 1 operator. Their problem was that local resources could not complete the hardware and software installation and onsite expertise was required to quickly review the situation and get progress back on track. TelcoCentric provided a resource onsite to manage the customer frustrations and take control of onsite deployment activities. The service was launched within a couple of weeks with the operator delighted that they met their service live deadline.

TelcoCentric

Engaging with operators at the technical account level

The Telco market is incredibly competitive and dynamic. Operator accounts need to be managed in order to protect solutions already deployed as well as realising potential. When accounts go cold, it is often the case that vendors run the risk of being sidelined or replaced.

At TelcoCentric we have the right resources with both technical and commercial know-how to professionally engage with your operator accounts. We work closely with our customers to agree a strategy prior to customer engagement, listen to concerns whilst ensuring strategic and commercial objectives are met. We have a proven track record of such engagements accounts for vendors across the UK and Europe.

One example was for a North American based network solution provider who found themselves in difficulty managing an account in Eastern Europe. Their problem was that resources had changed in the operator and they had no local resources available themselves to engage. TelcoCentric provided a resource onsite to assist in technical account management and quickly turned around the situation from the operator wanting to stop using the system and going with another vendor to the operator wanting to buy more features and licenses.

TelcoCentric

Developing and deploying custom software

Telco projects can often involve the requirement to create bespoke software. In some cases these requirements are known prior to the project being kicked off and in others they come up whilst in delivery. Not having the capabilities or resources to readily address such bespoke requirements can prove damaging and incur delays and/or cost in the project. In some cases it may also be a decider on whether a project is signed off or not.

At TelcoCentric we have development capabilities with many of the main programming languages and frameworks commonly used today. This development capability is backed up by our operational processes to ensure the software we develop is fit-for-purpose and operator-grade. Code repositories and support packages are also available as standard.

One example was for a UK based network solution provider who were asked to create some bespoke software whilst delivering a project to a Tier 1 operator in Europe. Their problem was that their core development team was fully utilized on other projects and without developing the new requirements the project was deadlocked. TelcoCentric took the development from requirements analysis phase through to customer acceptance. It was managed as a Change Request and the project was delivered on time and to quality.

TelcoCentric

Identifying and fixing issues

Telco grade systems are often complex, have multiple integration points and need to be properly managed to ensure smooth ongoing operation. Over time in-house expertise comes and goes and often operators find themselves in a situation whereby they have an unstable and unmanageable system. These systems put the operator at risk and have the potential to cause significant revenue loss and reputational damage when things go wrong.

At TelcoCentric we have a vast array of skills and capabilities that cover a large range of hardware, operating systems and 3rd party products commonly used in telco deployments. This knowledge has been accumulated over a number of years and backed up by our operational processes and experiences around the world.

One example was for a European MVNO who had a major issue with their in-house e-commerce system and Oracle deployment. Their problem was stability and support, with system outages impacting existing customers as well as future growth plans. TelcoCentric were bought in to help and a plan was implemented to stabilise and re-build the environment to telco-grade quality.